IT Service Desk Manager
Lookers
| Company | Lookers |
| Category | Operations & Admin |
| Location | Newcastle upon Tyne |
| Remote | On-site (inferred) |
| Employment | Not stated |
| Level | Manager |
| Salary | Not stated by the employer |
| Posted | 10 Aug 2026 |
| Last verified | 11 Aug 2026 |
| Source | Employer ATS (greenhouse) |
Description
About us : We are one of the top three automotive retailers in the UK, proudly representing 32 manufacturer brands, selling a huge range of new and used vehicles from over 150 dealerships across the UK and Ireland.
We believe our people are our greatest asset, and we’re committed to recognising the valuable contribution each person makes. That’s why we continue to invest in a leading rewards and benefits package designed to support your career, wellbeing, and life outside of work. Service Desk Manager, Maternity Cover - 15 months FTC.
Purpose of the Role
The Service Desk Manager is responsible for leading the delivery of IT support services across the organisation, ensuring users receive high-quality, efficient, and customer-focused support. The role provides operational leadership for the Service Desk, 2nd Line Support and User Access teams, while driving continual service improvement, process governance, reporting, automation and technology platform development.
The role is accountable for maintaining service performance, developing team capability, ensuring compliance with IT policies and procedures, managing key suppliers, and supporting the successful delivery of business and IT change initiatives.
Key Responsibilities
Service Management
Lead the day-to-day operation of the Service Desk, 2nd Line and User Access functions.
Ensure incidents, service requests and escalations are managed within agreed service levels.
Monitor and improve customer satisfaction and service quality.
Review service performance metrics and identify trends, risks and improvement opportunities.
Act as a senior escalation point for major incidents, customer concerns and service issues.
Ensure effective communication to stakeholders during incidents and service disruptions.
Team Leadership and People Management
Manage Team Leaders and support the development of the Service Desk, 2nd Line and User Access teams.
Conduct performance reviews, coaching sessions and development planning.
Set service expectations, objectives and performance measures.
Drive a culture of accountability, customer service and continuous improvement.
Support recruitment, onboarding and succession planning activities.
Manage employee relations matters in line with company policies.
ITSM and Process Governance
Own and maintain the following IT support processes:
Incident Management
Request Fulfilment
Knowledge Management
Escalation Management
Contribute to and support the organisation's Problem Management, Change Management and Major Incident Management processes, working closely with the relevant process owners to ensure the Service Desk, 2nd Line and User Access teams follow agreed procedures.
Ensure processes are documented, reviewed and followed consistently.
Identify opportunities to improve efficiency through automation and workflow optimisation.
Lead process improvement initiatives arising from audits, service reviews and operational feedback.
ITSM Platform Management
Own the roadmap and continual development of the ITSM platform.
Work with stakeholders to gather requirements and implement new functionality.
Support automation projects and service management improvements.
Ensure the platform supports operational reporting, governance and business requirements.
Manage testing, deployment and adoption of platform enhancements.
Reporting and Service Performance
Produce operational, management and executive-level reporting.
Track service desk demand, ticket trends, service levels and team performance.
Present service performance updates and improvement plans to leadership teams.
Analyse operational data to identify opportunities for cost reduction and service improvement.
Maintain dashboards and reporting frameworks to support decision-making.
Supplier and Vendor Management
Manage relationships with third-party support providers and technology partners.